They say it was such a success in 2017 that they have made it a six-day event this year, instead of five.

“Clopotiva is part of the Retezat National Park, one of the highest and most beautiful mountain ranges in Romania. The highest peak is Peleaga, at 2,509m. It’s a peak that can be reached fairly easy, crossing from Pelegii meadow. On the way you will pass Bucura lake (the largest glacial lake in Romania, with a surface of almost 90 000m²) which can be admired in all its splendour from the top of Peleaga.

The sixth edition of the Airtour hike-and-fly competition will take place from 9-17 June 2018, starting as always at St Hilaire du Touvet in the French Alps.

This year for the first time pilots can choose to fly in Adventure or Competition categories, tackling three different tasks of increasing difficulty, graded green, blue and red, like ski pistes. In all, the course covers over 300km through the Alps.

Adventure category
Pilots taking part in the Adventure category are not ranked, though they are tracked and their positions displayed on the website as with the competition pilots. They follow the green, blue and red courses in order. Adventure-category pilots can race alone or teams, and pilot and supporter can alternate. Pilots need an IPPI 5 rating and some cross-country experience.

Race category
In the Race category, pilots follow the green, blue and red courses in order, and first to goal wins the race. Pilots need an IPPI 5 rating and either competition experience or proof of significant cross-country flights in order to be selected.

The three different courses that comprise the Airtour 2018 route

The courses
Green: small Chatreuse tour with optional turnpoint la Sure
Blue: loop to the south around Trieves, Devoluy, Le Buech, le Vercors and an optional turnpoint at Aspres sur Buech
Red: loop in the heart of the French Alps with Mont Blanc as an optional turnpoint

Pre-registration is open on the Airtour website, and closes on 31 January 2018.

During the week of 2-8 June 2018, the British Paragliding Cup team are running a training week in Krushevo, Macedonia, in preparation for round 2 of the BPCup the following week.

Organisers write:

“The BP Cup is an entry-level paragliding competition for Pilot rated pilots. No previous competition experience is necessary but you do need to be confident thermalling. Our aims are – flying, fun and learning – in that order! The intention is to provide a friendly, supportive environment to facilitate pilots’ development, pushing PB boundaries and achieving competition goals”.

The Krushevo round HQ will be the Hotel Montana Palace, just above the town of Krushevo, Macedonia.

The 2018 Naviter Open will take place at St Jean Montclar in southern France from 24 – 30 June.

The event is an FAI 2 competition, aimed at pilots wishing to learn the art of competition flying. Organisers say, “Pilots love the fun and friendly atmosphere, the in-depth daily briefings and the easy access to some of the best pilots in the world”.

The 2018 X-Pyr starts on Sunday 24 June 2018, with 40 teams signed up to race 567km across the Pyrenees from west to east by foot and by paraglider.

The race begins at 10am on Sunday 24th June at Hondarribia on the west coast. First to goal at El Port de la Selva on the east coast, wins. The rest of the teams then have 24 hours until the clock stops. All athletes have to stop and rest overnight.